Hot Wheels Is Releasing Mario Kart Toys

Select your player.

By
Tony Markovich

Jul 26, 2018

Car and DriverMattel

Hot Wheels cars have always had a cartoonish element to their designs with their enlarged wheels, exaggerated proportions, and wild graphics. But recently, the style has been even more literal. Fresh from celebrating its 50th anniversary and amid its Legends tour around the United States, Hot Wheels has announced a collaboration with Teen Titans Go! and Disney’s Pixar. The animation love doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon: At San Diego Comic-Con International, Hot Wheels confirmed it will release die-cast Mario Kart characters.

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In a series that includes what will surely be cross-generational must-haves, the Mario Kart pack will have Mario, Bowser, Princess Peach, Luigi, Yoshi, Toad, Wario, and Rosalina. Rosalina, a character first seen in Super Mario Galaxy on Nintendo Wii, is the only driver featured in the series who was not in the original Super Mario Kart, which debuted in 1992 on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Judging by the single preview image provided by Hot Wheels, Mario, Peach, Wario, and Rosalina will be served in traditional kart-style racers. The others all feature unique vehicles from the Mario Kart video game series, which most recently released Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch.

This is not the first time Hot Wheels has collaborated with Nintendo for special-edition toys. Regular vehicles with Super Mario graphics have previously been released, as well as cars shaped to characterize the racers. Hot Wheels also previously debuted a Mario Kart van as part of a cross-game Super Mario pack that included Dr. Mario, Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World.

Still, these new cars are different. They are presented with both the character and the kart as they have been seen throughout the popular video-game franchise, not simply as reinterpreted celebrations. The toys will be priced at $4.99 each as well as available with track play sets. Reports from the event say they will not be released until summer 2019. For those who can’t wait, bigger remote-control Hot Wheels Ai Mario Kart collaborations are available, too.